Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora gave new meaning to the day late and dollar short observation. An announcement in December 2024 that the City of Trenton seeks applicants to form an Animal Welfare Advisory Board arrived nine months after Gusciora issued an executive order in April his intent to assemble a panel to guide the Trenton Animal Shelter. In that time, Trenton spent approximately $600,000 to house an overflow of dogs in a Yardley, Pa. kennel and allotted $350,000 for the purchase of the Kennels of Columbus in Mansfield Twp., Burlington County. That July 2024 transaction included unanimous support from City Council members although the kennel remains empty six months later. Plus, the executive order, which placed Trenton Animal Shelter under control of the Trenton Police Department with Lt. Alexis Durlacher as chief, dissolved and reverted control of Trenton Animal Shelter operations to the Health & Human Services Department headed by Dr. Carlos Diego Minacapelli. If one listens to this conundrum-beat of BS, the Kennels of Columbus operated as a legal business through June 2024 but the property needed upgrades and no longer met kennel requirements in Mansfield Twp. after the City of Trenton purchased the property. Business Administrator Maria Richardson said she hoped the Columbus kennels could welcome animals in September 2024. Meanwhile, Minacapelli, in December, said he awaited an inspection report regarding the condition of Columbus kennels and what repairs are necessary before dogs can be housed there. Wait, what? Allow a moment for readers to enjoy this canine moment of chasing their own derrières. Neither Gusciora, Richardson, nor Minacapelli have offered specific details about upgrades necessary to bring the kennels online. In April 2024, The Trentonian first reported that city officials had expressed an interest in purchasing the Kennels of Columbus. Many readers understand the back-and-forth that occurs when buying a house. The identified buyer generally requests the seller make certain repairs before a deal occurs. Apparently, that did not occur in this situation as the city bought the fixer-upper without determining potential structural or code issues with the kennels. Approximately 55 dogs remain boarded at the Yardley, Pa. kennel while as many as 77 dogs were packed into the Trenton Animal Shelter in December, an Escher St. facility that holds 20 canines comfortably. The dog count includes an estimated 44 others that were euthanized over the past several months. While Mayor Gusciora opened a search for five dedicated citizens to join the board and help guide the City’s animal welfare policies and programs, a nine-month delay in activation of his complete Trenton Animal Shelter plan shows a lack of urgency and poor leadership regarding a growing city crisis. Considering time required for acceptance of applicants and vetting of candidates, formulation of the board will have needed at least 11 months. Yes, Gusciora deserves responsibility for this blatant procrastination and malfeasance but onus of this unacceptable delay in complete implementation of his executive order rests on the shoulders of seven adoring members of City Council who continue to make rubberstamping their art form. Mayor Gusciora has neutered their political power in a disappointing act of tail wagging the dog. And, of course, Mayor Gusciora blames the previous City Council for a laundry list of failures and missteps, including a ginormous lie. He wrote this in a most recent attempt to shape-shift honesty and truth. “When I became Mayor, I recognized the Shelter’s severe shortcomings and set out to address them. In September 2021, I proposed using $4 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to rebuild the shelter and create a more humane environment for the animals. Unfortunately, this proposal was met with opposition from the previous City Council, and we were unable to secure the necessary funding. Had the investment been approved, we could have begun the critical work of creating a shelter that meets the demands of today’s animal population,” Gusciora penned in a recent op-ed. Those monies remained available in 2023, which means Gusciora could have delivered his shelter plans to current members of City Council. By the way, our dog overpopulation crisis remedies when humans begin acting responsibly. Building large shelters to house hundreds of dogs does nothing to deal with underlying issues pertaining to animal overpopulation. According to a city statement, the Animal Welfare Advisory Board will play a key role in advising on strategies to improve the care of animals in the Trenton Animal Shelter (TAS), develop solutions to animal welfare concerns, and collaborate with residents, businesses, and community stakeholders. Members will provide valuable insights into addressing animal care, public safety, and ways to reduce unwanted pet populations. Interestingly, Gusciora picks the advisory board which means members potentially will perform admirable human tricks for their leash holder. L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected].